Petrillo & Goldberg Law
Companies hold events outside regular employment hours and invite employees to participate. If an employee is injured at one of these events, is the injury covered by workers’ compensation? Kim Goulding worked as a cook at a nonprofit organization that provides vocational training and clinical services to individuals with developmental issues. On a Saturday, the…
If an employee is injured while walking to and from the lot, is the injury covered by workers’ compensation? Emily Manuel worked as a nurse at a New Jersey medical center. The medical center rented parking spaces in a lot across the street from the center. It deducted a fee from the pay of employees…
What happens when an employee being treated for a work injury claims to suffer another injury during the treatment? The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey recently considered this issue. Priscilla Robinson, a flight attendant, fractured her wrist at work. Robinson underwent physical therapy for her injury. She contended that she tore…
Every day workers are hurt at their places of employment. Even more workers are exposed to dangerous substances that cause potentially lifelong diseases and acute illnesses. Here are some of the most common occupational illnesses that generate workers’ compensation claims: Hearing loss — This is the most common occupational disease thanks to dangerous levels of…
Some horseplay can be expected at work. Usually, pranks are harmless, but what are the consequences if an employee suffers an injury? A firefighter for the City of Linden was on duty at a firehouse. As he sat down on a toilet in the men’s restroom, he felt an explosion beneath him. Remnants of an…
Construction workers are at risk of injury each day they report to a jobsite. Recently a crane operator was injured in South Philadelphia in August when the machine he was operating came into contact with a power line. The worker suffered burn injuries. Construction workers can fall from structures like roofs and scaffolds. They operate…
An employer may try to defeat a workers’ compensation claim on the ground that the injury was idiopathic. The theory behind the defense is that the job did not cause the injury because the same injury would have resulted if the employee had not been on the job. A recent decision of the Appellate Division…
A dump truck struck two state troopers who were standing at a vehicle crash scene. The incident started a chain reaction that resulted in injuries to five firefighters and three state troopers. The accident resulted in damage to at least a dozen vehicles, including an ambulance, a fire truck, state police SUVs and a food…
The premises rule applies when an employee seeks to recover workers’ compensation or when an employee attempts to file a suit for damages against their employer. If the employee is injured on the employer’s premises, they cannot file a suit for damages against the employer. Workers’ compensation is the injured employee’s only remedy against the…
When is an employee within the scope of employment? The question arises when an employee files a workers’ compensation claim. The same question is asked when an employee files a negligence or personal injury action against an employer. Recently, a worker for the Department of Public Works (DPW) for the City of Passaic, New Jersey…